Stay tuned to this section for updates on the project

UPDATE 1 (July 25, 8:00pm ET): The campaign has now reached $35,000, meeting the goal for Phase I of the project! These funds will go towards producing an academic version: a direct translation of Imam as-Suyuti's book, Raf' Sha'n al-Hubshan ("Elevating the Importance of the Blacks"), to be used by Imam, professors, teachers, and students. May Allah reward all of our generous supporters.

UPDATE 2 (July 27, 7:00am ET): The campaign has surpassed $75,000 and has reached the goal for Phase II! We now have the funds to produce a devotional version: a devotional storybook inspired by the original text that even teenagers could easily read and enjoy. We pray that this project will benefit millions worldwide.

NOTE: If this campaign raises over $120,000, additional funds will be allocated to marketing expenses (e.g., social media ads) to promote the books when published.

There is a common misconception that Bilal ibn Rabah (RA) was the only Black Companion of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Because of this historical inaccuracy, many people are unaware of the existence of the numerous Black Companions, their contributions to the enrichment and proliferation of Islam, and their relationship with Prophet ﷺ.

Today, more than ever, it is crucial that we dispel these misconceptions using sound scholarly references. As millions globally rise against systemic oppression and discrimination, we must acknowledge the Black lives devoted to the service of God and His Messenger ﷺ and who paved the way for Muslims to this very day.

The Book Project

CelebrateMercy and the Bilal Spiritual Center recently offered a free, online course: Black Lives Around the Messengerﷺ. The 7-part series taught stories and lessons of the Prophet Muhammad’s Black Companions, drawing from Imam Al-Suyuti’s classical book entitled “Elevating the Importance of the Blacks.” 4,000 students learned about the many noble Black Companions and Islamic history from an entirely new perspective, thanks to the dynamic teaching of course instructor, Shaykh Adeyinka Mendes.

Below is a 2-minute trailer about the course that Shaykh Mendes taught. You can also view the first session of the course here on YouTube.

Although thousands attended this class, students had no book to reference since the text has never been translated from Arabic to English. For this reason, CelebrateMercy has launched a project to make Imam al-Suyuti’s book available - in various English versions - to millions of adults and children worldwide. Through books that highlight the many Black lives around the Messenger ﷺ, we can strengthen our faith and heal racial divides within our Muslim communities.

We would love for Imam Suyuti’s book to be accessible to millions of adults and children in an accurate and high-quality format for English speakers. The original Arabic text is about 100 pages long, and is at least twice as large with added footnotes / commentary. 

Through this project, we aim to produce 3 English book versions:

• Phase 1 - ACADEMIC VERSION:  A direct translation of Imam Al-Suyuti’s original book to be used by Imams, professors, teachers, and students. The estimated cost would be $35,000 for the translation, editing, accompanying essays and footnotes, design, typesetting, and initial marketing costs.  
• Phase 2 - DEVOTIONAL VERSION:  A devotional story book in English - inspired by the original text - that even teenagers could easily read and enjoy. The estimated cost would be $40,000 for the writing, editing, design, typesetting, and initial marketing costs. 
• Phase 3 - CHILDREN'S VERSION:  An illustrated children's version of the book, ideal for children between 3 and 9 years old. This version will highlight inspirational stories of Black Companions - with beautiful illustrations - and lessons that a child can learn for his/her life. The estimated cost would be $50,000 for the writing, editing, design, illustrations, typesetting, and initial marketing costs. 

 CelebrateMercy is honored to undertake this intensive effort in, especially drawing on the expertise of Shaykh Adeyinka Mendes (learn about him below).

Why Give?

By supporting this project, you will ensure that the beautiful stories of the Black lives around the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ are shared with millions for generations to come. Because this is a project that will provide beneficial knowledge for many decades to come, your donations would definitely count as a sadaqa jariya - a perpetual good deed that will continue to reward you until the Day of Judgment. Not only is this a sadaqa jariya, but it is a sincere effort to heal racial divides in our communities and beyond through the Islamic tradition. 

Over 4,000 people registered in under a week when the Black Lives Around the Messenger ﷺ course was launched, showing an overwhelming eagerness among the global Muslim community (and many non-Muslims) to learn and produce meaningful change through the legacy of Prophet ﷺ . In light of the current socio-political climate, contributing to this project will help to do precisely that.

Project Timeline

This project is a labor of love. We aim to release the first phase (English translation) in time for Black History Month in February 2021, with each subsequent phase to be released by February of the following years. In total, the Black Lives Around the Messenger ﷺ project is scheduled to be completed before 2023 (approx. 2.5 years).

The Book: 'Elevating the Importance of the Blacks (رفع شأن الحبشان) by Imam al-Suyuti

If Black lives mattered to God such that he revealed verses about them in the Qur’an, there should be no ambivalence among our communities about valuing Black lives. Imam al-Suyuti delivers this message clearly through his insightful text, which includes the names and unique qualities of the multiple Black Companions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the Qur’anic verses regarding them, a commentary on the value of the land of Abyssinia itself (where many of the Black Companions originated from), and much more.

About the Author: Imam Jalaludin al-Suyuti is hailed as a leading authority in Islamic Law and is widely considered to be a reviver of Islam in the 10th Islamic century. He is one of the foremost hadith masters, encyclopaedist, historian, biographer, and a prolific writer of highly influential Islamic texts. To this day, enormous numbers of his essays, treatises, and other writings are preserved.

Meet the Scholar: Shaykh Muhammad Adeyinka Mendes

Shaykh Muhammad Adeyinka Mendes will help oversee this project insha-Allah. Shaykh Mendes is the Resident Scholar and Imam at the Muslim Center of Greater Princeton (NJ), director of the Garden of Knowledge Academy and founder of the Bilal Spiritual Center for Peace, the Arts, and Consciousness.

An Ohio native with Yoruba, Brazilian, and African-American ancestry, he embraced Islam at seventeen and went on to study history at Morehouse College and Arabic at the Ohio State University, as well as the Islamic sciences primarily in Syria, Mauritania, Nigeria, and the United States.
Imam Mendes is particularly passionate about environmental justice, women's empowerment, and uplifting African-Americans with knowledge of their vast spiritual, intellectual, and sociocultural legacy. Read a detailed bio of Imam Adeyinka Mendes here.

About CelebrateMercy

CelebrateMercy - a US-based organization that teaches about the Prophet Muhammad's life and character through films, programs, and social campaigns. Its recent campaigns raised over $150,000 to repair vandalized Jewish cemeteries and over $200,000 for victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. Media stories about each campaign reached over 100 million people worldwide, including this TV interview on CNN. Tarek El-Messidi is CelebrateMercy's Founding Director.